GSPM Blog

A survey conducted by Cision and Don Bates of The George Washington University’s Master’s Degree Program in Strategic Public Relations found that an overwhelming majority of reporters and editors now depend on social media sources when researching their stories. Among the journalists surveyed, 89% said they turn to blogs for story research, 65% to social media sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn, and 52% to microblogging services such as Twitter. The survey also found that 61% use Wikipedia, the popular online encyclopedia.

This survey proves exactly what I and the other researchers on the study thought but didn't fully realize before we disseminated our questionnaire -- that the media, both traditional and online, have become as dependent as everyone else, even more so considering their responsibilties, on the Internet and social media, in particular, as key sources for facts, expert comment, professional opinion, story ideas, and more."

See the full results here.